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We have spent a wonderful week in villa Pagano October 2012. First the house is very spacious. Although we’ve lived outside, because the weather was very good it was nice to have the space. Downstairs a living room with bar, upstairs a big kitchen, two rooms and a bathroom with bath and shower. So far a ‘ normal house’. Next there is an extra large open kitchen in the garden attached to the house near the pool. We used this kitchen for most of the meals semi outside. It has a pizza/stone oven and a BBQ apart from normal stove etc. Then there is the area with the pool in a garden that is beautiful, full of flowers and fruits that are well kept. The second dimension of this house is a very hospitable host mr Pagano and his wife. He awaited us with nice antipasti after a delayed flight. Organised everything for us to have a comfortable stay with our son of 11 months old. During the week he was always available for sightseeing tips or other practical information. Finally he likes to offer dinner cooked by his wife Angela. We had a wonderful ‘ pool dinner’ with aperitif, antipasti and freshly caught fish prepared as a traditional Sicilian dish. The last day we had pizza’s baked in the oven by mister Pagano with various toppings and Sicilian dishes for starters. We had a great time just outside the touristy area of the Taormina and beaches. Etna is close enough to visit. It felt like we were lucky to have found this house with the warm welcome of mr and mrs Pagano.

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Liked best:service and garden

Travelling group:Kleine kinderen

Would you recommend this hotel to a friend?
Yes.

Recommended for:

Friends getaway

Families with young children

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Villa Pagano was a special find. We had a great week. Giovanni, your host, is most attentive and helpful. The villa is on a gentle hill with distant views of Mount Etna, the very safe ‘sleeping giant’ of a volcano. The villa is on the very outskirts of Gaggi, a small working town with shops and a supermarket to meet everyday needs. You are well away from other holiday homes and the quiet privacy of the secluded pool area is a joy. You are surrounded by smallholdings with their fruit trees and chickens. The villa is deceptively large. There are 3 large bedrooms, two doubles and a twin. The best double is ensuite and is grandly furnished. It is only made available if you book for 6 – well worth the extra even if there’s only 4. It is situated on the ground floor off the lounge. The other bedrooms are on the first floor as is the ‘indoor’ kitchen and a shared bathroom with an over-the-bath shower. There’s a ramp down to the ‘outdoor’ kitchen, the large deep pool with Jacuzzi jets and its patio surround, all beautifully planted and well equipped with sunbeds, chairs and tables. There’s a further shower room by the pool and another shower for cooling off by the pool. There’s plenty of feature lighting at night – and plenty of switches to find! And there’s a large first floor balcony to catch the setting sun. You will certainly enjoy the home cooking that Giovanni and his wife can provide – at your request. The dishes were more than the equal of any local restaurant, there’s a cellar with a wide range of quality wines and there’s no need to travel! Ask Giovanni if you would like to eat out: there’s not much in Gaggi – but the take-away pizza kitchen (Pronto Pizza) is worth a try. Unless you plan to spend every day by the pool (and why not!), you will need a car to enjoy the surrounding area, near and far. The villa is less than one hour from Catania airport and an easy run mostly on motorways. Passing through the side streets of Gaggi for the first time is an interesting experience. You’ll appreciate why Italians drive small cars – but our satnav had no problems. It is some distance from Taormina (Google says 20 minutes drive), but Taormina is no longer Sicily: rather, it’s a once interesting town spoilt by too many visitors. Savoca has more charm. There’s a wide choice of beaches a few miles away and many other places to go – ask Giovanni. You should visit Etna. We went with Etnalcantara, not the cheapest – but a very special experience. Book the villa through the owner’s website. We went through an agent (the villa is no longer available through them) and it was messy.

How easy was it to book the property?

How helpful were the directions to the property?

How easy was key pickup/access to the property?

Overall condition of the property

Bedding & mattresses

Kitchen & utensils

Bathroom cleanliness

Other facilities & amenities

Service

Liked best:The pool, the patio with its beautiful planting and the quiet location.

Liked least:Gaggi has little to offer the visitor

Travelling group:Friends

Would you recommend this hotel to a friend?
Yes.

Recommended for:

Friends getaway

People with disabilities

Older travelers

Families with young children

Was the property as advertised?

Would you recommend the location of this property?

Was it a good value for the price paid?

Was your security deposit returned on time?

Was this review helpful? Yes

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC